Waste streams such as farm manure contain components that are useful in many applications. These components include proteins that may be useful as feed, minerals that may be used as fertilizers and fibers that are useful as feedstock for biofuel production and mulches for lawn and garden. Manure is currently accumulated in ponds then pumped into large digesters where it undergoes anaerobic digestion. Alternatively, the raw manure is treated in outside lagoons.
A number of prior art references relate to the recovery of protein form waste streams. U.S. Pat. No. 4,526,791 discloses a fermentation process for converting agricultural waste material, including animal manure and crop wastes, into proteinaceous animal feed products. U.S. Pat. No. 4,338,337 teaches a method for recovering and recycling animal waste materials wherein the liquids and finer solid particles are converted into a high quality single cell protein by means of aerobic digestion. U.S. Pat. No. 6,524,632 describes a process for recovering the protein values from animal manure for reuse as animal feed. The process involves the use of an anaerobic digester to provide methane gas for combustion and use for heating and powering the facility including a radio wave generator for sterilizing the protein and solids being recovered for the feed. US publication number 20090193863 relates to a process for extraction and recovery of phosphorus from solid animal wastes comprising the steps of phosphorus extraction, phosphorus recovery, and phosphorus recovery enhancement. The process can be performed in batch or continuous mode.